The present invention relates generally to containers for receiving liquids, primarily beverages for consumption, and more particularly, to beverage-receiving containers having a capacity for cooling the liquids which they receive.
For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,187,558 and 2,526,165 disclose containers for receiving a liquid which incorporate a centrally disposed projection for receiving a cooling medium. The cooling medium then operates to reduce and/or maintain the temperature of the liquid received by the container. Later improvements to this basic concept include the use of solid gel refrigerants for cooling purposes, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,485,636 and 4,691,664, and the provision of insulating structures for separating the cooled inner portions of the container from the outer surfaces used in grasping the container, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,485,636 and 4,798,063.
These and other liquid-receiving containers which have been developed for similar purposes suffer from certain disadvantages which have limited their utility. First, although many provide a limited degree of insulation between the inner, liquid-receiving portions of the container and the outer, surface portions for grasping the container, the degree of insulation achieved has been such as to promote relatively rapid warming of the contained liquid. This is often promoted by mechanical interconnections needed to maintain the structural integrity of the container. Second, insulated containers of this general type are often characterized by a significant number of components for assembly, which components often constitute relatively complex molded forms. This tends to increase the overall cost of the container, limiting consumer acceptance. These two disadvantages tend to combine to provide a container which, while effective in providing limited cooling over an extended period of time, is overly complex and costly.